Constant Reminders
by MissyEvil
Summary: It's been over two and a half years ago. But that doesn't make the pain easier. Especially not when there are constant reminders, day in day out. Warnings: Angsty, probably gonna make you cry but also smile
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is an idea I got in the car on our way to Italy and I wrote it in the car too haha :) Uploading now in my tent haha :) **

**Warnings: it's angsty and might make you cry but also smile, which seems weird I know. Already working on the second chapter but it might take me a little long since the wifi here sucks and I don't have that much time to write after all.. **

**Or something. **

* * *

Regina wakes from a loud knock at the door. She flinches at the sound and shoots upright in her bed. She quickly wipes the hair from her face and she isn't surprised when some of her make-up appears on her hand and her cheeks feel sticky. She has been crying again.

"Come in dear." She responds and slowly the door is opened.

"Are you okay?" He asks as he sees her looking at the empty spot beside her.

"I'm fine." She says, still not looking at her son.

She hears the footsteps come closer and her son sits on the bed too, he's careful not to sit on the side next to her but on the end of the bed instead. He knows Regina doesn't like it when he sits on _her_ side of the bed.

Her 16 year old son puts a tentative hand on her ankle through the fabric. Finally Regina looks at him and he can see exactly what he had been expecting to see, something that was far from being fine.

"It's okay not to be okay." He says softly and smiles at her.

She doesn't return his smile but instead pushes herself up and out of the bed, but not without looking at the other – extremely empty – side of the bed once more. "I have to be the strong one here, not you. I have to be okay."

Henry stands up and follows his mother out of the room. "Not today." He says to her back as they walk down the stairs, Regina stubborn enough to keep walking and moving through the kitchen like any other day, that is until she notices the cake standing on the counter with a big '39' on it.

She turns slowly and with a little more force than usual she places the milk on the counter. She looks at Henry at the pain in her eyes almost makes him regret making it at all. "Henry…" She starts and her voice almost breaks.

The boy quickly holds his hands up. "I know, I know. We talked about this and you don't want to celebrate but please mom, just let me do this for you."

"It's been two and a half years exactly today." Regina sais, a single tear coming from her eye.

"I know." Henry answers as he pushes forward and pulls his mother into a hug, which is a lot more comforting lately since he is now the same height as she is.

* * *

_Emma steps out of her bug and quickly moves towards the other side of the car to hold the door open for her wife. She offers her hands but Regina roughly pushes it away. "I don't need your help." _

_Emma sighs and rolls her eyes but grabs the arm anyway. "Let me go, I can get out of a car on my own." The stubborn brunette says once more as she pulls back. _

_The blonde steps back and holds her hands up in defeat. "Look, Regina I know this is the pregnancy talking but would you please stop being so stubborn and let me help you. You know I'm not going anywhere, I love you." _

_Suddenly the brunette does look up at her and two seconds later tears are streaming down her face. The smile quickly fades from her face when she realizes she is crying and makes place for an – adorable – frown. _

"_Why did you and your magic have to make me pregnant, Miss Swan? I hate this." _

"_It's Swan-Mills now, remember?" Emma says and she can't help but laugh at Regina's face as she opens the front door for them and quickly guides Regina towards the couch. Once they're both seated Emma quickly drapes an arm around her wife and starts playing with Regina's hair. _

"_But coming back to what you said earlier, don't lie to me, your Majesty. I know you love it. Being pregnant." _

_The brunette can't help but return the sweet smile. That is, until the baby starts kicking again and the smile is replaced by a grimace. The blonde instantly places her hand on Regina's swollen belly. _

"_Hey there girl." She says as she moves her head closer to Regina's belly. "We know you're in there and me and your mommy love you very much but right now I need you to be a little quiet and take like.. a nap or something so your mommy and I can have some alone time without you interrupting because I'm pretty sure there will be enough of that once you're born and-" _

"_Especially if you become such a talker like your mother, I'm not sure I could handle two of that." Regina says with a teasing smile. Emma just glares back at her. _

_This time it's Regina who pushes the blonde's head back up and she uses a hand behind her neck to pull the blonde closer. Emma's eyes flutter close at the contact she's missed for the last couple of weeks. She almost groans when Regina stops just before their lips touch. "We're not even sure it's going to be a girl." _

"_Trust me, I know it's going to be a girl."_

* * *

"Mommy, Mommy!" Regina's head shoots towards the opening of the kitchen. "I dreamed that I was going on a school trip to a big princess castle and there were a lot of pretty dresses and princes and my whole family was there! You and Henry and Mom was there too!"

Regina's eyes immediately watered at the words and she grabbed the girl who was now running into her arms. She placed the girl on her hip and looked into the deep brown eyes, so similar to her own but shining as bright as Emma's used to. "That sounds beautiful, sweetheart."

The girl's eyes roamed over her face. "Mommy you okay?"

Regina nodded. "I'm fine Jessica, mommy is just a little bit sad today."

The little girls eyes water at the sight of her mother crying and she nuzzles her head in the crook of her mother's neck. "I need to cry too."

Regina can't help but chuckle at that as the strokes the girls back. "Happy birthday." Jessica murmurs in her mother's neck. For a second the former Mayor tenses up but she forces herself to relax. "Thanks sweetheart."

She feels Henry wrap his arms around them too and the girl happily exclaims, "Family hug!"

The air around them suddenly feels heavy and she feels Henry tighten his grip around her a little bit.

* * *

"_Do you really have to go out of town today?" Regina says as she watches her wife place the badge on her hip. She looks up at Regina's words and smiles affectively, first at her wife's face and then at her belly. Regina is 7 months in but it looks like she's 9 months pregnant. Not that Emma is complaining, Regina looks absolutely gorgeous like that. _

"_Yeah, I'm sorry but I have to fix some things in Boston with my job before the baby arrives, then you have me all to yourself and me and Henry can start working on the kid's room." She turns around and opens the door but Regina is quick to stop her. _

"_Hold on, not so fast Miss Swan-Mills." _

_Regina uses the hand on Emma's arm to turn her around and quickly leans in to kiss her wife soft and tenderly. Emma moans. _

"_I love when you're like this. Definitely my favorite mood from all the ones that have passed by since you've been pregnant." _

_Regina chuckles and the hands around Emma's neck make little soothing circles. "Just.. be safe okay." _

"_You know I will."_

* * *

The first thing they do, what they always do, is step by Snow and Charming's house. "Hey Regina!" The short-haired brunette said as she pulls the older woman in for a hug, Snow was smart enough not to mention anything about the brunette's birthday. Their relationship has improved big time since they had something in common to worry about.

It's still a bit awkward to hug someone she used to hate so much but Regina is slowly getting used to it. When she pulls back she can see right past the woman's smile and knows she feels as bad as she herself does.

"Where's Charming?" She asks as she looks around the apartment. Snow smiles at that.

"He's trying to change Tyler's diaper." The look on her face tells Regina enough. The man has no idea what he is doing.

Jessica tugs on Regina's sleeve and the brunette looks down. "Mommy? Can I go to grandpa and baby?"

"Yes you can, but be careful remember and take your brother with you."

As soon as the Henry and Jessica leave the room, Snow breaks. "She just looks so much like Emma. Sometimes it's hard to look at her."

Regina nods understandingly. The little girl really did look like her blonde mother. She had the same, messy and curly blonde hair and her eyes had that same sparkle in there. Even her smile looked like Emma's.

"I know."

* * *

"_Hello Miss, what can I get for you?" A sweet older lady behind the counter asks Emma as she steps into the shop. It's getting late, she had being doing a lot of things in Boston today, she still had some money to get to her boss and there was the fact that she actually still had her apartment there, about time to give that up. She also went shopping afterwards for their baby girl which had been fun but now she couldn't wait to drive back home. Unfortunately her stomach had other plans so she had stopped by a gas station to get some food. _

"_Uh some chips and a chocolate bar would be great thank you."_

_The woman nodded and after she turned away Emma remembered her wife's words. "Oh sorry, I changed my mind, do you guys have salads too?" The woman smiled knowingly and walked towards the back of the shop. Emma entertained herself watching the other customers. There was a mother in the back, holding a hand over her pregnant belly. The grimace on the woman's face reminded her of Regina. _

_Suddenly the doors burst open and before she knew it she was being pressed down on the counter, a gun to her head. "Give us the money." _

_Ow god ow god ow god what was happening. Instinctively she reached towards her own hip but she was painfully remembered that she wasn't on duty today and she didn't have her gun with her, she wasn't allowed to outside of working hours. _

"_I don't work here." She managed to get out, pleased with how calm she sounded. She used to do this, well not like this but she used to steal so she had at least a little bit experience with panic. _

"_Well then, get out of the way." _

_She was roughly pushed onto the ground. She started to take in her surroundings, she needed a plan like soon if she wanted to get out of this. Okay so there were three men, one was locking the door, one was now pushing all the hostages including herself to sit in a group and one was taking the money. That was obviously the dominant one and she needed to get him talking, built report or something. _

"_What do you want?" She asked calmly, her question directed at the dominant man standing by the counter. She hoped that wherever that salad lady was, she was smart enough to call the police as well. To get them safe. _

_Safe. _

_She thought about Regina's words earlier. She hadn't kept her promise. She was anything but safe. _

"_Shut up Blondie and sit with the rest of the group. No talking or I blow your head up. And if anyone even tries to call the police, we'll kill all of you." _

_She crawled over towards the rest of the group and sat down. There were six of them in total. The pregnant lady, two scared teenagers holding each other's hand, a businessman in a suit and a man who seemed like a dad and then there was her. The pregnant lady seemed to be in complete panic so Emma reached over and gently squeezed the woman's hand. She had to keep it together in here. _

"_Bolem! Come back here look what I found." The man who had been standing by the door now replaced the man who looked over them and the other followed the dominant one towards the back, out of sight. _

_When they hadn't returned after twenty minutes, their man seemed to get bored and started wandering through the store. Where the hell was that salad lady or the police? Slowly Emma pulled her phone out and speed dialed Regina's number, she hoped that her wife was in a good mood and that she would pick up. She placed the phone back in her pocket and mentioned for the businessman that it was okay. He smiled at her and shifted. _

"_Can we go to the bathroom?" Emma asked, trying to get his attention. Regina needed to know what was going if she was listening to this. _

"_No, and shut your mouth." He pulled the safety from his gun and Emma was sure it would be heard through the phone. _

"_But then can you at least let this woman go, she's pregnant and not supposed to be here, it's really bad for the baby." _

_The main now ran over towards her and struck her in the face with his gun. The object hit her temple and for a second everything felt dizzy. Luckily her vision cleared and she hissed from the pain. "Nobody gets out of here until we have what we need!" _

_Emma looked toward the pregnant lady who reminded her so much of Regina and the thought that there was someone at home waiting for her and her unborn baby made Emma's stomach clench. She moved a little closer to the woman who still seemed to be fighting with herself. _

"_You just have to stay calm, okay?" _

_The woman nodded and all were silent again. Emma had no idea what to do but she hoped that Regina was hearing all of this and that the police would be here soon. After ten minutes, all of the sudden, the pregnant woman pulled out her phone. It was very quietly but the sound of the iPhone unlocking made the man, and his two friends who had just returned, turn their heads. _

"_What the fuck are you doing?" They said as they snitched the phone from the crying woman's grasp. _

_Emma's heart started beating faster, this was not good. _

_The man turned the screen so everyone could see it. 911. _

_Suddenly everything happened really fast. The group was pulled apart, Emma was yanked towards one of the man who held her in a strong grasp. _

_The only one left on the ground was the woman. "What did we say about anyone killing the police, mm?"_

_The woman started crying harder and Emma twisted and turned in the grasp from the man who had watched over them in the beginning, receiving another painful punch with a gun but she ignored the pain for now, all that mattered was getting that woman safe. _

"_I think we mentioned something about killing all of you, and since it was you who made the call I'm going to start with you I think." _

_At that same time Emma took the phone from her pocket and managed to pull it towards her face. The man who was holding her didn't seem to be paying attention to her now that there was somebody about to be shot. _

"_Regina, I don't know if you're hearing this but I'm so so sorry. I promise I'm not leaving you but will you please make sure that Henry and Jess , because yes that's going to be her name I know you love it too, are going to be okay. And watch out for yourself too. I'm sorry. I have to do this." _

_The gun was raised and within seconds Emma was free and threw herself in front of the pregnant woman. A loud bang was heard and she felt the bullet enter her body, dangerously close to her heart. She fought with herself to stay awake but her vision and the distinct screams faded quickly and all that was left was darkness._

* * *

Henry and Jessica had tried to make this day as good for her as these days could get. They had even her some gifts and though Henry could tell Regina didn't really like it, she accepted them anyway and thanked them, trying to push Emma from her mind for at least till they went to bed. She was proud of herself when she managed to keep it together and she even laughed with them as they went through some old pictures of them, most of them including Emma too.

But after the kids had gone to bed Regina couldn't help but let the tears fall and crawl into her bed with her phone tucked to her right ear.

"Regina, I don't know if you're hearing this but I'm so so sorry. I promise I'm not leaving you but will you please make sure that Henry and Jess , because yes that's going to be her name I know you love it too, are going to be okay. And watch out for yourself too. I'm sorry. I have to do this."

Replay.

On evening's like this, Regina could listen to the voicemail for hours. She knew every exact word that Emma was saying but it was the voice that seemed to calm her down and she longed to hear it again, once more every time.

Replay.

After ten more times she broke. While sometimes it could give her some comfort tonight it didn't. Tonight it just reminded her of the choice Emma had made two and a half years ago and the pain Regina had felt every single day afterwards caused by that decision.

Her – their – daughter was a constant reminder of what she had lost but also a gift. She still had a piece of Emma with her, everyday. And maybe Henry was right, maybe it was time to start living her life again. Maybe she should stop listening to that voicemail over and over and over again. But not tonight though, she told herself as he finger moved towards the replay button.

Just before she could hit it, she was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. She frowned, who would call her at this hour.

"Regina Swan-Mills." She said into the phone, her voice still a bit shaky.

"Regina, it's Dr. Whale. You need to come to the hospital right now… Emma woke up."

* * *

**What did you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all thanks for all the reviews/favorites and follows. I loved hearing your reactions and I'm glad I managed to scare you all a little and trick you into thinking she was dead :) **

**For me something just feels off about this chapter but I hope you will all enjoy it. **

* * *

Regina's mouth dropped open and for a full minute she didn't say anything. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure dr. Whale could hear it through the phone. She was feeling a thousand things at the same time but she couldn't place any of them. She did feel the tears streaming down her face and she heard the door being opened. Henry appeared by her side and held her hand while the tears continued streaming down her face.

"What happened?" she finally managed to get out after a shuddering breath.

"I don't know, she just woke up." Regina chuckled then, which confused Henry completely. What exactly was going on here, the boy wondered. When his mother had started crying on the middle of the night while being on the phone had given him an idea. Something that he didn't want to be true but now he didn't have any clue anymore.

Regina was thinking about how funny it was that Emma decided to _just _wake up. After everything they'd tried, from using all sorts of modern medical resource to Regina actually calling doctors from all over the world for advice to magic and true love's kiss till her lips were sore and bleeding. But Emma being Emma she should have expected the stubborn woman would decide on her own when it was time to wake up. And she had picked the right time because with every passing day Regina felt just a piece of hope that one day the blonde would wake up from her coma, disappear.

"We'll uh.. we'll be there in fifteen minutes."

She hung up and Henry had started tucking on the sleeve of her silk pajamas.

"Mom, please what happened?" Henry's voice reminded Regina some much of the small but scared little voice from the day she had told him what had happened to his other mother.

* * *

"_Emma?!" Regina yelled into the phone, her voice anything but stable._

"_No I'm sorry Miss Swan-Mills. This is dr. Ambrose from the St. Elizabeth hospital in Boston." _

_Regina felt like her worst nightmare was coming true. This wasn't happening she told herself, Emma had promised to stay safe. _

"_I.. what.. what happened?" She stuttered while slowly lowering herself down on the couch hissing in pain when the baby started kicking again. _

_At the same moment she sat down her 14 year old son came home from hanging out with some friends. "Hey mom, hey ma." He said but he was confused when he only saw his brunette mother. As he stepped closer he noticed that something was very, very wrong. Suddenly Regina screamed something while throwing the phone all the way through the room. Some purple magic spat out of her fingers and Henry's mouth dropped open. He hadn't seen his mother use magic in a long time, especially not since she was pregnant because she and Emma were afraid it would do damage to the baby. _

_He rushed over to the couch and grabbed his mother's hands to stop her from shooting more magic. He tried to catch her eyes but they were distant. "Mom! What's wrong?" He said, his tone louder than usual. _

_Finally she locked eyes with her son and as she squeezed her eyes shut more tears streamed down her face. When she opened them again she slowly opened her mouth. _

"_There was a hostage situation and a pregnant woman and Emma .. and .. gun and-" she had to stop to let out some loud sobs. Henry's own breath stopped down and he felt his own tears start to appear soon. _

"_Is she?" He asked, his voice so small that it almost broke Regina's heart all over again. _

_The older woman quickly shook her heart. "No, she uh.. she took a bullet for someone else and she's in surgery now but… ," she took a quick pause, "they're not sure she's going to make it." _

_The boy immediately through himself into her arms and Regina forced herself not to cry as he let his tears stream down his cheeks and onto her shoulder. The boy shook heavily into his arms but she forced herself to be strong and just hold him._

* * *

Regina and Henry arrived at the hospital exactly fifteen minutes later. They had both gotten dressed again but Henry's hair was a mess and Regina hadn't done her make-up. She didn't care at all, she just wanted to be with her wife again as soon as possible.

They ran through the hallways of the hospital, a route they knew by heart by now and rushed towards Emma's door. Before they could burst in, Dr. Whale stopped them.

"Hold on." He said, his voice soft as he looked at the floor.

"What's going on?" It was Henry who spoke up this time.

"I'm afraid she's back asleep again." He said, looking at Henry but avoiding Regina's glare.

"What do you mean?" This time it was the brunette who spoke up, a tiny bit of anger in her voice.

"Emma has been waking up lately and-"

"Whoa! Stop right there!" Regina said, holding up her hands and glaring angrily at the man. "Are you saying that my wife has been awake more and you failed to call me at all?"

Dr. Whale quickly held up his hands up. "Calm down Regina."

Regina's eyes only darkened more but Henry quickly stepped in front of her. "Please explain to us what's going on."

"Okay look, with coma patients it tends to happen. They just wake up and stare around a little and then they fall back asleep. We don't mention it because we don't want to give their loved ones false hope."

Regina slowly nodded. "Okay, so then why did you call this time?"

"Because she said your name." Whale said as he raised his eyebrows and shot a smile to Regina and Henry who looked pretty in shock.

"Do you have any idea when she'll wake up again?" Regina asked.

The doctor shook his head. "Unfortunately no, it could be a minute from now, a week, a month or-"

"Never." Regina finished his sentence, a sad look on her face.

Whale nodded and finally stepped aside to open the door to Emma's room for them.

* * *

"_Do you have any idea when she'll wake up?" Regina asked, tears streaming down her face as she held Henry's hand._

_Whale slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry but no. It could be a week, a month, a year, two years or.." _

"_Or what?"_

"_She could also not wake up and then eventually we might have to make the decision to unplug her."_

_Regina glared angrily. "That is not going to happen here. Emma is going to wake up."_

_Whale decided not to say anything but opened the door to Emma's room instead. Slowly mother and son walked in. The room was dark and quiet expect for the sounds the machines were making. Regina could hear Emma's steady heartbeat coming from the machine. Only then did she look at her wife. Regina hadn't seen her yet. She had been transported from Boston to Storybrooke the second the woman was stable enough to but since Regina couldn't leave Storybrooke she hadn't seen Emma yet. She walked closer to her wife and noticed the dark bruises on her temple and the scratches on her arms where Emma had defended herself. Henry could see that his mother was about to lose it and her breath was shaky. He squeezed her hand a little and Regina shot him an appreciative smile before letting go and slowly moving her hand over Emma's to slowly take it in hers. It felt weird to hold the blonde's hand like this. She closed her eyes and imagined Emma returning the hold, stroking her thump over the back of Regina's palm and squeezing ever so slightly and lovingly. Then she would look up and the blonde would shot her a million watt smile that would almost make her lose her balance and make her insides flutter. _

_Only this time when she opened her eyes and squeezed Emma's hand nothing was returned and when she looked up the only thing she could see were Emma's lips curled downward and closed eyes. No smile. Regina fell forward with her face onto the bad and cried loudly. Henry had walked over to the other side of the bed and was crying too. _

_Regina pulled herself up again and moved higher to hover over Emma. "You heroic idiot." She said. "I hate you so much right now for leaving me but I love you so much for saving that woman and being true to what you are. Because no matter what you think, you really are a savior Emma." _

_She moved down and kissed her wife's lips. Henry raised his eyebrow in surprise but then realized what his mother was trying. When Regina pulled back and nothing happened he felt disappointed. "Should I? I mean.. she woke me.." _

_Regina looked at her son and nodded slowly. She moved back into her seat and this time it was Henry who hovered over her wife. "Okay Ma, this is kinda awkward and I really hope you don't ever talk with me about it again or I might tell Regina about that thing that happened." Regina raised an eyebrow at her son but he wasn't looking at her. _

_Slowly Henry moved down and kissed his mother's forehead. Nothing happened. Disappointed again, both mother and son sat in silence as they stared at the woman they both loved so very much._

* * *

They walked into the familiar room again and both took their seats. The ones that they always took. Regina took Emma's left hand in her own and squeezed only to be met again by nothing but dead weight. It was always the first thing Regina did when she came to visit Emma. Squeeze her hand, and hope that the blonde would return the gesture but Emma never did. Not even now.

"Listen." She said strictly. "if you're hearing this then I just want to say that you can't do this. You can't just wake up and then make me come all over here just to leave me alone again."

She smiled sweetly at her and Henry saw that she was trying to keep it together. "It's okay mom." He said as he stepped over to the other side to put an arm around his mother. "She'll wake up again."

Regina nodded and looked away. "I'm going to.. get some food. You want something too, dear?"

He shook his head no and Regina slowly left the room. Henry was sure that she was going to the bathroom to cry. Normally he would fight her and tell her that it was okay but he sensed that she needed this right now.

When the door was shut again Henry sat down in Regina's chair and took his mother's hand.

"If you think this is okay, then it's not."

He squeezed the same way he had seen his other mother do so many times and when nothing happened he wondered how Regina must have felt every time she did this. For him it just felt like rejection and .. empty.

"You have to wake up now ma because mom really wants you too and so do I and Jessica wants to meet you."

He paused to look at her face for a second.

"We now know you're still in there, you asked for her that means you have to be there and remember. Right?"

He sighed deeply before letting go of her hand and resting his palm on her arm instead. "Anyways.. I uh.. I kinda asked Gretel out yesterday. I know I said that I was too scared she wouldn't like me back and stuff but I felt like I should just tell her. I mean you told Mom and look at what happened between you too."

He smiled softly when he thought of Gretel and what had happened. The butterflies in his stomach awoke and for a second he didn't have to think about their situation.

"I saw this movie once, I can't recall the name but it all comes down to the fact that sometimes, for twenty seconds, you just have to be brave and then something good will come of it. So I just walked over there and I asked her out."

Another smile and a slight stroke on her arm.

"Guess what Ma, she said yes."

"Who said yes?" Regina asked as she stepped back into the room. A coffee in her hand and a snack for Henry.

"Nothing. It's just something between me and Ma."

Regina nodded; understanding that this was something between Emma and Henry.

* * *

"_Ma?" _

_No response._

"_Okay,-" Henry sighed deeply, "this is probably kind of strange and everything because I don't know if you can hear this. Maybe you can and you're probably thinking like 'just get on with it kid'."_

_He paused again. There wasn't even the slightest hint of a smile on her face._

"_Anyways, I think that I'm in love and I can't talk about it with mom because she'll overreact and stuff and she's already asking me a dozen questions a day about everything at school so I don't think I can handle telling her."_

_Henry chuckled slightly at the memory of his last conversation with his mother. _

"_So her name is Gretel, you know that one girl you saved along with her brother. She's really pretty and really funny and I think you'd approve of her. Mom sort of tried to kill her and her father once so I think it will be awkward at first but you always told me to go with what my heart says. I just don't know if I am ready to tell her, tell Gretel. That I like her I mean."_

_He was quiet for a full minute, only listening to the beeping machines. _

"_This is sort of weird, isn't it?" _

_He stood up and walked towards the door as he grabbed his backpack. It did feel strange to talk to his mother that way but he also knew for sure that he would be back._

* * *

She looked awkwardly from the blonde to her son and Henry got the hint. He stood and walked over to take the snack from his mother's arms. "Right. I'll uh.. I'll go home and check on Jess."

The brunette nodded again and walked over to Emma's bed. She was exhausted and luckily for her Whale let her sleep beside Emma. It couldn't really do her any harm and Regina needed the comfort. She placed herself on the bed, careful not to get caught in any wires. Slowly she rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder and wrapped and arm around her waist. She closed her eyes and imagined Emma's arms curling around her and holding her and slowly she felt herself drifting away.

Regina woke again a few hours later, when it was almost morning. She stirred slightly and frowned, wondering what that annoying sound was that had woken up. When she turned in her wife's arms she saw that it was the heart monitor. She tensed immediately and looked down at Emma and then back at the machine. Was something wrong? Should her wife's heart beat that fast.

She immediately pressed the nurse button and stepped out of bed. She was sure her own heart was beating Emma's by now. She quickly grabbed the blonde's hand and squeezed while her eyes stayed focused on the door. Where was that woman? Suddenly she felt something and her whole body froze. Her head turned slowly like everything was in slow motion and with wide eyes she watched the hand that was holding Emma's. She squeezed again, a little harder this time and her mouth dropped open when Emma's hand squeezed back.

"Emma!" she yelled as she now looked up into green eyes. They seemed unfocused but it didn't matter right now. The blonde closed her eyes again and grimaced a little.

"Are you in pain?" She asked quickly as she heard the doors behind her being opened and a team of doctors rushed inside.

"You ..-" the blonde coughed and she seemed taken aback by her own extremely hoarse voice, -"You don't have to squeeze so hard."


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow guys thanks for all the reviews/follows and favorites I'm getting. I love how you're alle enjoying this story and I hope you like the next chapter as well. It will be quite different but if you watch bones you'll probably get it soon enough. **

**PLEASE READ THIS: Between the events happening in Emma's other world their are pauzes. Like, between two "dreams" there can be months but for Emma it will be a day or something. This isn't a flashback. This is happening in Emma's mind and that's why it will drop right in the middle of situations sometimes because that's what happens with dreams. I thought it would be more clear if I wrote it like that.**

**IT DID NOT ACTUALLY HAPPEN, EMMA MADE IT UP IN HER MIND WHILE SHE WAS IN THE COMA :) THIS IS NOT A REAL MEMORY OF HER AND REGINA, HOW THEY GOT TOGETHER IT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY WITHOUT NEAL AND MAYBE IT WILL BE CLEAR IN ANOTHER FLASHBACK BUT I'M NOT SURE YET. SO I'M SORRY FOR TYPING IT LIKE THIS HAHA BUT IT'S DEFINITELY NOT A MEMORY. EMMA REMEMBERS UNTIL THE MOMENT OF THE THING WITH ARCHIE AND THEN HER MIND STARTED FILLING IN THE GAP. HOPE IT'S CLEAR LIKE THAT. :)**

**Thanks for reading everybody :) **

* * *

As soon as the darkness and painful feeling in her chest started fading away Emma Swan opened her eyes. It made place for light just as soon. She opened her eyes and she was in her room in her apartment. Her head was pounding and her chest was burning and she didn't remember much from the night before. Probably too much alcohol again, she figured.

Only then did she became aware of the hand holding hers and the squeeze. She turned in the bed and Neal was smiling at her. "Good morning. You were out for a while."

"What happened?" She asked, trying to figure out why her memory was a mess and why her chest was burning so painfully.

Neal frowned but explained anyway. "We went out for some drinks last night and you got pretty wasted. Didn't realize it was this bad though."

Emma was confused. Something about this didn't feel right. "oh, of course." She said as she pushed herself up. "Where's Henry?" she asked as she sat up.

"Where he always is in this weekend of the month." When Emma kept staring blankly at him he rolled his eyes. "With Regina. What's wrong with you? Fell on your head or something?"

Emma didn't register any of his words after Regina's name had fallen. That name did something to her. Something she couldn't quite place. She started fidgeting with the ring on her finger, something she did all the time.

"Seriously Em? Are you okay? I miss my happy wife from last night."

"I don't know. Let's go get breakfast.

* * *

"How's dinner?" Neal asked as Emma took her first bite. She had been a little off ever since their evening out and Emma could see that Neal was trying to be extra sweet for her so that she wouldn't just wander of searching whatever she was searching for.

"Good." She answered with her mouth full of food. "Gonna see Gina I tink."

Neal laughed. "Sorry, what?"

Emma swallowed and shot him a sly smile. "I'm going to see Regina I think."

Her husband focused his full attention on her now. He reached over the table and took both her hands in his. A warm feeling spread through her body but she forced herself not to smile. "Why? That's just asking for another fight and I don't wanna have to pick you up from the ground again Em." Neal said.

She shrugged. "I should apologize you know, for the thing with Archie."

Neal looked even more confused. Since when did Emma care about that. "You actually think she's going to forgive you?"

"I don't know but I feel like I should try, for Henry you know."

"He's our kid. I really don't see where all this is coming from suddenly."

Emma's eyes widened. "He's her kid too!" She couldn't keep the hint of anger from her voice as she rose from her chair at the kitchen table.

Neal stood up too and followed her to the living room – their living room – and started pacing around. What in the hell had happened to his Emma and how could he get her back.

"Since when do you think that? This whole fight basically is about the fact that you think he's your, or well our son, and that she can only see him when we want her too."

Emma's eyes narrowed and she focused her attention on a spot on the table. Why couldn't she remember saying those words and why did they feel so damn wrong, like something she would never say. Surely Neal must have made that up.

"Well maybe I was wrong." With those words she rose and grabbed her coat. She knew where she was going and she was sure Neal knew it too and whether this was the smartest thing to do or not it certainly felt like the right thing to do.

* * *

Emma knocked on the white mansion about fifteen minutes later.

"Ms. Swan." Regina said as she opened the front door and Emma could hear a slight hint of disappointment in her tone. It was Regina's weekend with Henry but he was not supposed to be back with them until the late evening so he and Regina could have their usual movie night. The brunette probably thought Emma was here to pick him up. "I do believe I still have a few hours with my son." See?

"No!" Emma quickly started, holding her hands up. "I'm not here to pick him up. I uh.. I just."

"Spit it out sheriff."

"I just think that maybe it would be better if Henry stayed with you for the rest of the week." She mumbled but the look on Regina's face told her she'd understood every word of it. The brunette raised her eyebrows and Emma swore she saw her lips curl upward for just a second. Just a second because quickly made place for narrowed eyes that told her she wasn't sure what to believe of it.

"Why? Do you and your dear husband need some time alone?" You could hear the disgust when she said it but Emma ignored it for now and instead shook her head.

"No. I just realized that maybe it's not entirely fair that we're keeping him away from you. You are his mother, after all."

Regina's eyes widened once more and she finally stepped inside to let the blonde in, this way effectively hiding the look on her face from Emma.

"Did you fall on your head or something, sheriff. Two weeks ago you were all up in my face saying he was yours and your husbands and now you're saying that maybe I should spend more time with him. Because I'm his mother." Regina's voice was firm and Emma knew she had to break through that wall. She had done it before – definitely not in the right way, but she had done it before – so now she just needed to figure it out how to bring it down again.

"Regina, I'm being serious. I'm sorry. I don't really know what's going on with me but something feels different. I can't really describe it but since a couple of weeks things feel strange and I don't even remember-" she stopped there, not wanting to let her know too much. Regina probably wouldn't trust a word she said after that and that's not what she needed.

"Really? You're really giving me more time with him?" The mayor's voice sounded higher than usual and Emma knew she was getting somewhere.

"Yeah. Really." She said as she smiled at Regina and finally followed her from the hallway into the living room. She hadn't been in this room before and Emma had to admit that it looked quite amazing.

As they said down Regina focused her gaze on anything but Emma. "And how does you lovely husband feel about this?"

"Neal."

"Excuse me?" Regina did look at her now and Emma swore she could see the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"His name is Neal. You can stop calling him my husband now." Her voice sounded irritated and it wasn't unnoticed by Regina.

"I know that dear, but he is your husband, isn't he?" Her voice sounded teasing and Emma couldn't help feeling relieved that they were back on common ground. The teasing, the being all up in each other's faces and Regina's sass; she was used to that. She knew how to handle that.

"I haven't really talked to him about it."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should before you promise me things you can't keep."

Without thinking about it the blonde walked over to the couch where Regina was sitting and sat next to her. Instinctively, the brunette pulled shifted further away from her but Emma tried to ignore it. "I don't care what he thinks. Also, I uh.." she paused for a moment as she struggled with her words, she was surprised Regina was giving her the time to figure it out, "I want to apologize, for the thing with Archie." Immediately the brunette rose from the couch and Emma was sure she was going to kick her out of the house but only a minute later she returned with two glasses of apple cider. The sheriff couldn't stop the shiver that went down her body when their fingers touched briefly.

"Why?"

Emma took a gulp from her drink and immediately closed her eyes and the burning in her throat. She always seemed to forget how strong that stuff was.

"I was wrong."

Regina took a sip of her own drink and looked away, the subject more painful for her than she wanted to let on.

"I do believe that's quite obvious since he's walking around town and _not _minding his own business again."

Emma shrugged. This clearly was something she was uncomfortable talking about. Normally it would amuse Regina but today the blonde could notice she felt as uncomfortable as she did.

"Yeah but I should have believed you even when we didn't know he was alive and I shouldn't have said Henry was my son, cause he's yours too."

To the sheriff's surprise Regina locked eyes with her and said something Emma didn't think she'd ever heard her say before.

"Thank you."

Completely taken aback it took her some time to respond.

"You're welcome. And well.. maybe… we can like… try and be friends." When she saw the look on Regina's face she quickly added, "for Henry of course."

Regina's eyes narrowed on her but after a few seconds she nodded slowly. "For Henry."

* * *

"Ms. Swan." Regina said but she couldn't help but laugh. "I told you to secure it tightly." She said as she looked down at the blonde on the ground, next to the horse.

"Emma remember. And this is so not funny, my ankle hurts." The blonde tried to glare angrily but whenever Regina laughed she couldn't help but join her. The sound made her feel so warm inside that the pain in her ankle got better immediately.

"Here okay. Let me do it." She said as she secured the saddle more tightly and then moved behind Emma. "Okay now, put your foot in there and then just push yourself up and grab the saddle over there. Don't forget to swing your other leg over the animal but not too fast because we don't want you falling on the ground on the other side, do we dear?"

Emma turned around and the look on her face said enough – I'm not that dumb.

The blonde was very strong in her arms but her legs were a bigger problem so getting on the horse was pretty hard. After a while she just turned around and looked at Regina, who was holding in her laughter once more. "Will you stop laughing and help me."

The brunette nodded and pushed her up. They were both relieved the other couldn't see the blush on their cheeks when Regina touched Emma's ass.

"Woo! I'm on a horse!" Emma enthusiastic once she was finally seated. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Only because I helped you."

Emma winked at Regina who had already climbed on her own horse. "Well you're my friend. You're supposed to help me."

After a few minutes Emma noticed that something was bothering her. The brunette was tend to get lost in her thoughts when she was on her horse – Emma has seen that when she used to just watch Regina ride - but not like this. Now the smile that had previously been there was completely gone and her eyes looked empty.

"Regina." Emma said soft as she forced her horse beside Regina's. The brunette blinked a couple of times and then smiled at Emma.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Emma rolled her eyes. Always so stubborn.

"Tell me."

Regina took a deep breath and looked at Emma. "Henry is been off lately. He's always gone spending time with friends I don't know and he spends a lot of time in his room. I think something is wrong with him."

Emma immediately burst out into laughter and her horse was startled but she kept him under control. "Oh Regina. He's in love."

The brunette's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

This time it was Emma who took a deep breath. "Listen, he told me not to tell you because.. well I'm the cool mom and you talk to the cool mom about this stuff but uh… he's in love. He told me about it and I'm not supposed to tell you because he thinks you'll overreact."

Regina's eyes widened even more and her mouth dropped open. "He's in love?!"

"Well.. he is a teenager after all so hormones and stuff."

"Who is she?"

Emma frowned. "Sorry, can't tell you. You have to let him tell you when he's ready."

The sweet smile on the brunette's face didn't go unnoticed by Emma and once again it amazed her how much had changed between them in just a few months.

* * *

A couple of weeks after the first time at the stables with Regina, Emma woke up to the same squeezing in her hand. She opened her eyes slowly and immediately closed them again when the bright light of the sun hit her eyes. She felt Neal's eyes watching her like he had done so many mornings now. "Do you ever sleep?" she asked.

He chuckled at that and gave her a quick peck on her lips before leaving the bed. "I like watching you sleep."

"You never did that before."

He stopped for a minute as if trying to decide what to say. "Well.. I like it now."

"You're lying." Emma responded after she'd let her eyes roam over his face. The look in his eyes told her that whatever it was that made him watch her during the night, he didn't want to talk about it so instead he kissed her silent.

"Will I see you later?" He said as he finished putting his pants on and walked towards the door of the bedroom. Neal always rushed in the morning because he was too lazy to get up in time for work.

"Not sure. Regina's taking me to the forest to go hiking or something." She said as she forced herself out of bed too, glad that it was her day off because all her muscles were sore from horse riding and the pain in her chest had returned.

"I thought you guys were doing something yesterday." The man said, his voice a bit irritated.

"No yesterday we did something with Henry." She could still see that flicker of anger in his eyes whenever they discussed Regina and Henry. It was still a sensitive topic, the blonde changing their rules.

"So it's just the two of you?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Emma asked as she glared at him. She had noticed her husband's annoyance at the contact between her and Regina before but not it was becoming annoying for her too.

"No, it's just that- whatever, never mind." He said as he waved it off.

"No. What were you going to say? Spit it out Neal." The sheriff said. She felt something inside her boiling and she knew she had to watch what she was going to say.

Neal sighed. "Well she was the Evil Queen."

"Was indeed. She _was _the Evil Queen."

Neal rolled his eyes in frustration and held up his hands. "Just saying, you're my wife. Not hers."

And with those words he shut the door behind him and left her alone.

"Don't I know it." Emma said to herself.

* * *

"You don't enjoy spending time with me after all, Ms. Swan?"

"Emma."

"I should have seen it coming, of course. This was all just a plan to take revenge on me."

Emma rolled her eyes at the stubborn woman. She reached across the table to try and take Regina's hands but the brunette pulled them back to her sides.

"Regina," Emma said, ignoring the rejection, "that's not what I'm saying. And stop being so defensive. We're friends now remember? I know you."

The mayor looked away. "I thought I knew you too but it seems like you disappointed me once more. I shouldn't have trusted you."

Emma sighed in frustration and leaned back into the booth. Why did Regina have to be so fucking defensive all the time. "You know me. I'm still the same person."

"Well than why are you refusing to spend time with me lately."

Emma took another deep sigh before answering. "It's not that I don't want to, It's just that.." Emma paused for a second and forced herself to gather enough courage to say it. "Neal doesn't like it."

Immediately a fire started behind the dark eyes in front of her. Regina's face fell and she glared at the blonde in a way that almost made her think the Evil Queen was back. Luckily for Emma she caught herself again.

"Since when has that ever stopped you?"

Emma shrugged, more because she was uncomfortable and conflicted than really no knowing the answer.

"Just come tonight." Regina said.

Emma still didn't seem convinced. Regina was right, she never used to let people tell her what to do. But Neal was her husband of course. But did that mean she always had to listen to him and do what he said? She did understand where Neal was coming from.

"Please, Emma."

Emma's head snapped up at the words, not only the pleading tone but also the use of her first name which Regina still refused to use often. When she looked into Regina's eyes she saw something she hadn't seen before and she made her decision.

"Okay. I'll be there."

"That is none of your business Mr. Cassidy." Regina said as she stepped in front of Emma.

"It is, because it concerns _my wife_ and she ismy business!" Neal screamed back at her. Regina noticed the emphasis on the claiming of Emma but ignored it, for now.

This time it was the blonde who stepped forward, in front of Regina. "That doesn't mean I don't get to do my own things." She yelled, she felt Regina's hands on her back trying to keep her from doing anything stupid.

"You don't get to see her anymore!" Neal yelled suddenly as he yanked her arm, forcing her away from Regina and from the older woman's protective hold.

"What are you? My father?" Emma shot back at him as she pulled her arm back roughly.

All of the sudden and before Regina could stop it, he slapped Emma in the face. She stumbled back into Regina's arms, completely in shock and not saying a word.

"Go on. Marry her or something because you seem to want to spend every second of your day with her. Whatever you do, I'm not doing this anymore," He gestured between them. "I'm going back to Boston. Goodbye."

Before Emma could protest he was gone. She stood frozen in her spot until she felt Regina move in front of her and tentatively wrap her arms around Emma's tense body. Immediately Emma started crying and she felt weak for doing it but she couldn't hold back. Regina only tightened her hold on her.

After what felt like an hour the brunette finally let go. Emma's hand reached for Regina's but pulled it back like she had burned it. She had tried to take Regina's hand a couple of times before when either of them was upset but Regina didn't seem to like the contact. This time though, it was the older woman that reached back for the hand and intertwined their fingers together. Regina's hand squeezed hers and it felt different. So… how could she describe it… real. But it also felt like she was suddenly drifting away. Her panicked eyes searched for Regina's but she didn't seem to notice what was going on with the blonde. Emma squeezed back as hard as she could, to keep herself grounded. She saw Regina's smile and the gesture was returned once more while her eyes closed and then opened again. This time though, everything was different. She was in a completely different room with diffferent lights and she could vaguely hear machines making sounds around her.

"You don't have to squeeze so hard." She said to her best friend.

* * *

**oh seems like Emma and Regina are in quite the trouble right now since Emma has created a different view of their relationship now. She only remembers untill after the thing with Archie and the rest her mind made up. That will probably be a problem for them. **


	4. Chapter 4

**heyyyy I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, I know exactly how I want this story to go but I just couldn't bring myself to it because it's kinda a sad story and I need to write some fluff and then school came along and teachers decided to fuck things up and blablabla. But okay, I have an update now so that's good. I'll try to update faster next time but right now really just thank you all for your responses and I'm happy you're all enjoying the story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show so don't sue me :)**

* * *

"Can we go see her?" Henry asked, holding his sisters hand as they stood outside of Emma's hospital room. Jessica was more quiet than usual and Regina knew that even though she was so little, this was really hard on her daughter. Jessica had never met Emma, not really. She had no idea what her other mother was like. But Jessica's issues with Emma were the least of her problems right now. Something was wrong with her wife and Regina knew it, the way Emma had looked at her was nothing like the way she had done before all of this happened. It was more like she had looked at her a long time before that and it worried the brunette.

"Not yet Henry. The doctor is doing some tests on her."

"But she is fine, right?" He pushed, reading the look on his mother's face. She was trying to hide it from Jessica but Henry had known his mother for a whole sixteen years now and he could easily see there was something she wasn't telling them.

"She's… Emma."

Suddenly the door was burst open and dr. Whale stormed outside, panting. "Regina. You have to… come in and.. help." He managed to choke out after some time.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked, stepping forward and glaring at the man. "Doctor, what is wrong with my wife?"

He just gestured for her to go inside but before the brunette did she turned around and looked at Henry, who was now lifting a crying Jessica. She hadn't even noticed her daughters sobs. Quickly she took the little girl in her arms and shushed her as she held the tiny version of Emma against her chest. "Sshh don't worry girl, momma is going to be okay."

The sobs slowly quieted and she motioned for Henry to take her out of her arms. "Take her to the waiting room okay, I'll be right there." Realizing he shouldn't argue with his mother right now he nodded and turned around, taking Jessica with him.

Regina took a deep breath and opened the door once more. Her eyes immediately widened and her mouth dropped open. Emma was up and out of her bed. She had changed into the spare outfit Regina always had for her at the hospital. She didn't even look up from packing her stuff.

"Emma?" The brunette said and suddenly the blonde stood still and looked at her. A smile formed on her lips and Regina felt herself beaming back, not being able to control all the feelings inside her. "What are you doing?" She asked and Emma looked around at the mess she was creating.

"I kinda don't know." She sais and she chuckled before all of the sudden her smile faded and her eyes filled with tears. Regina figured the drugs still had some effect on the blonde. She slowly walked towards Emma, not knowing how Emma was feeling and more importantly… what she was remembering.

Emma showed no hesitation as she ran over to the Mayor and wrapped her arms around her. Regina instantly tensed and her heart almost burst out of her chest at the feeling of those arms finally around her again and the blonde's body pressed up against hers again. Her own tears started to fell from her eyes but Emma didn't seem to notice. _Old Emma would have, _she quietly told herself.

"What happened?" The blonde asked as she finally pushed back, steadying herself on Regina's arms.

"How much do you remember?"

Emma frowned before remembering her fight with Neal and her conversation with Regina. "I remember.. uhh.. I remember fighting with Neal and then coming to you and then fighting some more and then you… you being the best friend I've ever had."

Regina's heart dropped into her chest and she let go of the blonde. All the blood drained from her face and she used the head of Emma's hospital bed to steady herself. Regina had no idea what to do, she longed for the blonde's touch but she wasn't sure she believed her own ears. Had Emma really just used to words 'best friend' to describe her.

"Regina?" Emma asked, coming closer and resting a hand on the woman's back. "Regina what's wrong? Is Henry okay?"

Okay that was a relieve. She still remembered their son. Slowly Regina nodded, not being able to provide anything more.

"Anyways… I actually need to get out of this hospital, I've got things to take care of."

Slowly the Mayor turned her head and looked at her wife. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to Boston to find my husband that's what I mean."

* * *

Slowly her eyes flickered open, trying to adjust to the light reaching her eyes. "Regina?" A voice said and she forced her eyes open, immediately reaching for her pounding head in the process.

"What happened?" She asked her gaze now focusing on two people leaning above her, Dr. Whale and Archie.

"You fainted." Dr. Whale explained simple while he grabbed Regina's upper arm and helped her into a sitting position. "Now does your head hurt?" He carefully touched the back of Regina's head but except for a slight bump it seemed okay.

"I'm fine." Regina said, pushing his hand away. She looked around and noticed she was on the ground in Emma's hospital room, only… Emma wasn't here.

"Where's my wife?" Regina asked, shooting a glare at Archie which immediately turned his face pale. "Uh…"

"Doctor. Where is my wife." Regina asked the cricket once more but he seemed in no condition to help her.

"She left." Whale spoke up, now helping Regina to her feet and onto the bed. "I'm sorry… she just… I don't know where she went.."

"I do." Regina said, sighing deeply while her eyes watered once more. "She's going to Neal."

Archie nodded slowly and finally made himself of use. "I think I know why."

Regina turned her head and showed the man a genuine smile, urging him to go on. "I've heard of this before and I think that's what's going on with Emma. It happens when the brain is trying to protect itself from harm so it creates an alternative scene. Factors from the outside can still influence her so that's probably why you and her are still… friends and there is a chance she will have worked some of the things you told her into her own world, as to say. Looking at her behavior and the things she said I would believe she thinks-"

"She's married to Neal instead of me." Regina finished, wiping her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Archie said, looking down.

Regina took a deep breath and looked at dr. Whale. "So what is going to happen now? When will she remember?"

Dr. Whale shook his head. "There's no way of knowing what will happen. Her going to Neal could make it better or so much worse. I depends on how hard that old Emma in there is fighting."

* * *

Emma watched her best friend suddenly faint before her and she immediately tried reaching out to try to catch the brunette in her fall. Unfortunately her body was weaker than she was used to and she wasn't able to hold her, causing Regina to smack hard into the ground.

"Oh god. Regina." She said kneeling down. She touched the woman's cheek and smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry. I will explain later but I need to go right now. I don't understand what happened but something feels wrong and I need to go and fix it."

Emma stood and grabbed the bag in her corner that held the little amount of her stuff that was here. Luckily her favorite red leather jacket was in there too and that really was all she needed. She ran in the bathroom attached to her hospital room and changed as quickly ever had. She looked in the mirror and realized that she looked much different than the last time she had checked… her hair seemed longer. But surely that couldn't be right? She brushed it off and instead ran out, checking out the hallway to see if there was anybody there, relieved to see it empty she started looking for the exit.

* * *

"Shhh. Stop crying." Henry said, rocking his baby sister in his arms. It was all a little bit too much for the little girl, she was exhausted, scared and she had no idea why she couldn't go and meet her momma.

"Mommy!" She yelled loudly to which Henry rocked her even harder.

"It's gonna be okay Jess. Mommy is with momma now because she is still a little bit sick but Mommy will make her better." Henry stroked the blonde curls from the girls face and was pleased to see she had stopped crying and was only sniffing now.

"Like with us?" Jessica said her eyes curious as she looked up at her big brother.

Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"

The girl shot her brother a look Henry recognized from Regina and smiled at the resemblance. While she certainly looked like Emma, she had the regal attitude of her other mother.

"Henry, don't be silly! Like when Mommy gives us kisses all over our face to make us feel better when we are sick."

Henry smiled at the memory and beamed at his little sister. This girl was way too smart for her age. "Yes baby girl. Exactly like that."

Jessica seemed pleased with the answer as she jumped of Henry's lap and sat in her own chair. "I'm hungry."

"Shall I go check if they have some candy for you?" the teenager said, turning his voice into a whisper even though Regina wasn't around.

Jessica nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Henry laughed out loud, happy the tension was broken a bit and he could finally smile a bit. "Okay then. You stay right here okay? I'll be right back."

Jessica nodded and sat back in her chair.

* * *

Emma scanned the hallways. How hard could it be to get out of a damn hospital. If only her legs wouldn't protest so much. She could barely get them forward and her muscles were so damn weak. She really needed to ask Regina later what exactly had happened later.

Finally she saw the 'exit' sign and walked towards it. When she approached the doors she walked past the waiting room and her head snapped towards the chair at the sound of someone sniffing. Her head turned towards it and when her eyes fell on a little girl, her heart suddenly felt like it was going to beat outside her chest and her entire body heated up.

Emma had no idea what was happening to her and blamed the sudden weird and vaguely familiar feelings to the drugs still in her system. She felt her body moving towards the chair on its own even though she wanted to walk away and out of here.

"Hey there sweetie." She said, kneeling down in front of the girl. "Are you okay?"

The girl looked up and into her eyes and her head actually hurt and her heart clenched. She knew those eyes, but how was that possible. She couldn't remember seeing this girl before.

The girls mouth dropped open and tears streamed down her face. "Momma!" She screamed before launching herself into the blonde's arms and crying harder.

Emma couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the desperate move as her hand tangled into blonde curls. "It's okay sweetie, we'll find your mom."

The girl on her shoulder didn't say anything, just held on so tight to her like she was never letting go and Emma felt her stomach warm at the sweet gesture. She never knew she was such a fan of kids.

Realizing she couldn't walk around the entire hospital like this, carrying a child, Emma walked up towards the nurses' station and put the child down on the counter. "Hey, can you find her mother please?"

The nurse looked from the child to Emma, knowing it was the sheriff's child because she had seen the Mayor thousands of times with the kid.

"Sure thing." She choked out, understanding Emma didn't know. But when she looked on Jessica's face and saw the shining in her brown eyes and the smile on her face she knew that didn't even matter right now because Jessica has just met her hero. The woman she had heard so many stories about, had asked so many things about and the woman she knew to be her mother.

"Jessica sweetheart?" She asked, having a hard time getting the girls attention away from her mothers. "Shall we go to your mommy? Please? She needs you."

Jessica nodded sadly but did allow to be lifted into the arms of the nurse. Emma watched the little girl disappear and wave at her and felt herself returning the gesture, again noticing that weird and familiar feeling in her stomach.

For now though, she shook it off and walked out of the hospital. Now she just had to catch the first flight to Boston.

* * *

**what did you think? any things you really wanna see? I'm open to suggestions :)**


End file.
